Chapoutier is one of the oldest wine producers in the Rhone Valley with a history dating back to 1808. A distant ancestor, Polydor Chapoutier, was the first to buy vines there, shifting from being a simple grape grower to making and trading his own wine. For the last two hundred years, the estate has been producing some of the greatest wines in the Rhone Valley. Today, the range also includes wines from some Roussillon appellations as well as projects in Portugal and Australia.

Under Michel Chapoutier’s leadership, quality has improved and Chapoutier gained international recognition. The massive negociant and winery produces single-vineyard expressions and classic wines from a range of appellations in the north and south of the valley.

In 1997, true to his pioneering spirit, Michel Chapoutier set out to explore the terroirs of the oldest continent: Australia. He bought land and joined forces with Ron and Elva Laughton from Jasper Hill, the iconic estate based in Heathcote on a very unusual, early Cambrian soil.

They planted new vineyards using original Syrah cuttings taken from the hillside of Tain l’Hermitage in the Northern Rhone which are 80-100 years old. Quarantined in Australia and then propagated without the use of rootstock, the vines were planted alongside Australian Shiraz to produce a “best of both worlds” vineyard called La Pleiade, for a star cluster visible from Australia and France, to celebrate their global friendship in wine.

With the Laughton’s complementary know-how and experience, the result is exceptional Shiraz wines, displaying great elegance and mineral purity.